Georgia State Bird - Brown Thrasher - Turdus rufus

By John James Audubon,
F. R. SS. L. & E.

VOLUME III.

FERRUGINOUS MOCKING-BIRD. [Brown Thrasher.]

ORPHEUS RUFUS, Linn.
[Toxostoma rufum.]

PLATE CXLI.--MALE, FEMALE, AND
NEST.

READER, look attentively at the plate before you, and say if such a
scene as that which I have attempted to portray, is not calculated to excite
the compassion of any one who is an admirer of woodland melody, or who
sympathizes with the courageous spirit which the male bird shews, as he
defends his nest, and exerts all his powers to extricate his beloved mate
from the coils of the vile snake which has already nearly deprived her
of life. Another male of the same species, answering the call of despair
from his "fellow creature," comes swiftly downwards to rescue
the sufferers. With open bill he is already prepared to strike a vengeful
blow at the reptile, his bright eye glancing hatred at his foe. See a third
grappling with the snake, and with all its might tearing the skin from
its body! Should this alliance of noble spirits prove victorious, will
it not remind you that innocence, although beset with difficulties, may,
with the aid of friendship, extricate herself with honour?

The birds in the case represented were greatly the sufferers: their
nest was upset, their eggs lost, and the life of the female in imminent
danger. But the snake was finally conquered, and a jubilee held over its
carcass by a crowd of Thrushes and other birds, until the woods resounded
with their notes of exultation. I was happy in contributing my share to
the general jor, for, on taking the almost expiring bird into my hand for
a few minutes, she recovered in some degree, and I restored her to her
anxious mate.

The Brown Thrush, or Thrasher, by which names this bird is generally
known, may be said to be a constant resident in the United States, as immense
numbers are found all the year round in Louisiana, the Floridas, Georgia,
and the Carolinas. Indeed some spend the winter in Virginia and Maryland.
During spring and summer they are met with in all our Eastern States. They
also enter the British provinces, and are sometimes seen in Nova Scotia;
but I observed none farther north. It is the most numerous species found
in the Union, excepting the Robin or Migratory Thrush. Those which breed
in the Middle and Eastern Districts return to the south about the beginning
of October, having been absent fully six months from that genial region,
where more than half of the whole number remain at all seasons. They migrate
by day, and singly, never congregating, notwithstanding their abundance.
They fly low, or skip from one bush to another, their longest flight seldom
exceeding the breadth of a field or river. They seem to move rather heavily,
on account of the shortness of their wings, the concavity of which usually
produces a rustling sound, and they travel very silently.

No sooner has the bird reached its destined abode, than whenever a fair
morning occurs, it mounts the topmost twig of a detached tree, and pours
forth its loud, richly varied, and highly melodious song. It scarcely possesses
the faculty of imitation, but is a steady performer; and, although it sings
for hours at a time, seldom, if ever, commits errors while repeating the
beautiful lessons set to it by Nature, all of which it studies for months
during spring and summer. Ah! reader, that I could repeat to you its several
cadences, all so full of sweetness and melody, that one might imagine each
last trill, as it dies on the ear, the careful lullaby of some blessed
mother chanting her babe to repose;--that I could imitate its loudest notes,
surpassed only by those of that unrivalled vocalist, the Mocking-bird!
But, alas! it is impossible for me to convey to you the charms of the full
song of the Brown Thrush; you must go to its own woods and there listen
to it. In the southern districts, it now and then enlivens the calm of
autumnal days by its song, but it is generally silent after the breeding
season.

The actions of this species during the period of courtship are very
curious, the male often strutting before the female with his tail trailing
on the ground, moving gracefully round her, in the manner of some pigeons,
and while perched and singing in her presence, vibrating his body with
vehemence. In Louisiana, the Brown Thrush builds its nest as early as the
beginning of March; in the Middle Districts rarely before the middle of
May; while in Maine, it seldom has it finished before June. It is placed
without much care in a briar bush, a sumach, or the thickest parts of a
low tree, never in the interior of the forest, but most commonly in the
bramble patches which are every where to be met with along the fences or
the abandoned old fields. Sometimes it is laid flat on the ground. Although
the bird is abundant in the barrens of Kentucky, in which and in similar
places it seems to delight, it has seldom been known to breed there. In
the Southern States the nest is frequently found close to the house of
the planter, along with that of the Mocking-bird. To the eastward, where
the denseness of the population renders the bird more shy, the nest is
placed with more care. But wherever it is situated, you find it large,
composed externally of dry twigs, briars, or other small sticks, imbedded
in and mixed with dried leaves, coarse grass, and other such materials,
thickly lined with fibrous roots, horse hair, and sometimes rags and feathers.
The eggs are from four to six, of a pale dull buff colour, thickly sprinkled
with dots of brown. Two broods are usually raised in the Southern States,
but rarely more than one in the Middle and Northern Districts.

They breed well in aviaries, and are quite tractable in a closer state
of confinement. The young are raised in the same manner, and with the same
food, as those of the Mocking-bird. In cages it sings well, and has much
of the movements of the latter bird, being full of activity, petulant,
and occasionally apt to peck in resentment at the hand which happens to
approach it. The young begin their musical studies in autumn, repeating
passages with as much zeal as ever did Paganini. By the following spring
their full powers of song are developed.

My friend BACHMAN, who has raised many of these birds, has favoured
me with the following particulars respecting them:--"Though good-humoured
towards the person who feeds them, they are always savage towards all other
kinds of birds. I placed three sparrows in the cage of a Thrush one evening,
and found them killed, as well as nearly stripped of their feathers, the
next morning. So perfectly gentle did this bird become, that when I opened
its cage, it would follow me about the yard and the garden. The instant
it saw me take a spade or a hoe, it would follow at my heels, and, as I
turned up the earth, would pick up every insect or worm thus exposed to
its view. I kept it for three years, and its affection for me at last cost
it its life. It usually slept on the back of my chair, in my study, and
one night the door being accidentally left open, it was killed by a cat.
I once knew a few of these birds remain the whole of a mild winter in the
State of New York, in a wild state."

The Brown or Ferruginous Thrush is the strongest of the genus in the
United States, neither the Mocking-bird nor the Robin being able to cope
with it. Like the former, it will chase the cat or the dog, and greatly
tease the racoon or the fox. It follows the Astur Cooperii and the Goshawk,
bidding them defiance, and few snakes come off with success when they attack
its nest. It is remarkable also, that, although these birds have frequent
and severe conflicts among themselves, yet when the least alarm is given
by an individual, a whole party of them instantly rush forth to assist
in chasing off the common enemy. When two nests happen to be placed near
each other, the males are seen to fight furiously, and are joined by the
females. On such occasions, the males approach each other with much caution,
spreading out, and often jerking up, down, or to either side, their long
fan-like tail, generally betaking themselves to the ground, and uttering
a note of defiance, until one of them, perceiving some advantage afforded
by its position or some other circumstance, rushes to the charge. The attack
once fairly made, the fight seldom ends until one has beaten the other,
after which the vanquished rarely attempts to retaliate, and peace is made
between the parties. They are fond of bathing and of dusting themselves
in the sand of the roads. They bathe in small puddles during the heat of
the sun, and then remove to the sandy paths, where they roll themselves,
dry their plumage, and free it of insects. When disturbed on these occasions,
they merely run off and hide themselves under the nearest bushes, to return
as soon as the intruder has retired.

During the period of incubation, the male is heard from the top of a
neighbouring tree, singing for hours at a time. It ascends to this pinnacle
by leaping from branch to branch, and selects several trees for the purpose,
none of them more than a hundred yards from the nest. Its song over, it
dives towards its favourite thicket, seldom descending by the assistance
of the branches. Both male and female sit on the eggs. Their mutual attachment,
and their courage in defending their nest, are well known to children living
in the country. They resent the intrusion even of man, assaulting him,
and emitting a strong guttural note resembling tchai, tchai, accompanied
by a plaintive weo, and continued until the enemy retires. Should he carry
off their treasure, he is sure to be followed a great way, perhaps half
a mile, both birds continually crossing his path, and bestowing on him
the reproaches he so richly deserves.

The food of this Thrush, which is also known by the name of French Mocking-bird,
consists of insects, worms, berries, and fruits of all sorts. It is fond
of figs, and wherever ripe pears are, there also may it be found. In winter,
they resort to the berries of the dogwood, the sumach, and holly, and ascend
to the tops of the tallest trees in search of grapes. At this season, they
are easily caught in traps, and many are exposed for sale in the southern
markets, although few of the old birds live long in captivity. Some planters
complain of their propensity to scratch the ground for the purpose of picking
up the newly planted corn; but I am of opinion that the scratching has
reference exclusively to worms or beetles, their strong legs and feet being
well adapted for this purpose; and, generally speaking, they are great
favourites, as they commit few depredations on the crops.

This species, as well as the Robin and some others of this family, suffer
greatly during the autumnal moults, and when in cages at this season, become
almost naked of feathers. The young acquire the full beauty of their plumage
during the first winter.

It is abundant in the Texas, and breeds there. It was not observed by
Mr. TOWNSEND on the Rocky Mountains, or any where beyond them. According
to Dr. RICHARDSON, the vicinity of the Saskatchewan river forms its northern
limits. Dr. T. M. BREWER writes me as follows:--"Your account of the
habits of the Brown Thrash does not leave me any thing to add. I will therefore
only trouble you with the following test of the ability of this bird to
detect the intrusion of eggs not belonging to it. I found this summer,
1837, a nest containing three eggs, which I removed, leaving in their place
three Robin's eggs, and retired to wait the issue. In a few moments the
female approached, gave the contents of the nest a hasty survey, and immediately
flew off. She returned in a short time in company with her mate, and both
flew to the nest apparently in the greatest rage, took each an egg in their
claws, and dashed it against the ground at the distance of more than a
rod from the nest, the female repeating the same to the other egg. This
done, they continued for some time to vent their rage on the broken eggs,
tossing them about, and at the same time manifesting their displeasure
in every possible way. They afterwards forsook the nest. The eggs measure
an inch and an eighth in length, six and a half eighths in breadth. They
never raise more than one brood in a season here."

Bill and tail more elongated than in the other species, wings shorter.
Upper parts light brownish-red; inner webs of quills dusky. Wings crossed
by two white bars margined anteriorly with black, being on the tips of
the first row of small and secondary coverts; lower parts yellowish-white,
the breast and sides marked with triangular dark brown spots. Female smaller.